CHECKERS REPEL CYCLONES TO EVEN SERIES 

     VERSUS    

CHECKERS EVEN SERIES WITH 4-1 WIN OVER CYCLONES

Schepke Scores Twice As Charlotte Ties Conference Semifinal Series 2-2

The Charlotte Checkers responded with their best hockey in desperate times and bounced back from Wednesday’s Game 3 shellacking with a dominating 4-1 victory Friday night against the Cincinnati Cyclones at the US Bank Arena.

With the win, the Checkers even the American Conference Semifinal series at 2-2 with Game 5 to be played Saturday in Cincinnati and guarantee themselves at least one more home game Tuesday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena.

Charlotte outshot Cincinnati 31-19 and carried the play for the better part of the game. Ryan Munce (18 saves, 31-17-2) redeemed himself after Wednesday poor showing. Offensively, Matt Schepke led his teammates notching two goals.

Cyclones goaltender Jeremy Smith (27 saves, 28-18-1) was outstanding throughout the game. Smith kept his teammates in the game making one spectacular save after another, but could not hold off the more determined visitors. His best save came on a sliding pad save with the Checkers pressing on the power play early in the first period. The Checkers were relentless firing everything they could at the rookie netminder and put nine of the game’s first 10 shots on the Cyclones goal.

With just 46 ticks of the clock to go in the first frame, the Checkers finally broke through when Schepke advanced the puck with speed down the right wing with David Marshall on a 3-on-1 odd man rush and fired a wrist shot into the top corner of the net past Smith.

Emotions began to take over as the period came to a climax as tempers flared resulting in several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties and a fight between Charlotte’s Andrew Carroll and Cincinnati’s Ryan Del Monte. Carroll, who as a rookie has been the Checkers leading goal scorer with thirty, leads the ECHL with three postseason fighting majors to go along with his three goals.

But the Cyclones were not just going to go off into that good night. Seven minutes into the second period, Cyclones forward Brett Robinson picked up the puck at his own blueline off of a Charlotte turnover and broke in alone on a shorthanded breakaway. He was then hauled down and awarded a penalty shot. On the free attempt, Robinson faked the shot and slid the puck between Munce’s legs to tie the game at 1-1.

Minutes later the Checkers were handed back-to-back penalties, first to Kenny Roche for a hooking call and then to Carroll on a lazy tripping call, and were forced to kill off a 5-on-3 Cincinnati power play. Munce stood on his head making several point blank stops while the Charlotte defenders held their ground and got in the lanes blocking shots to keep it a tie game.

Checkers forwards Marshall and Schepke entered the Cyclones’ zone just minutes after killing off their shorthanded disadvantage and came on another odd-man rush, this of the 2-on-1 variety. This time though, Smith shut the door with an acrobatic pad save.

The Checkers would break the deadlock with 4:55 remaining in the second frame on a goal by Trevor Hendrikx. Michel Leveille got the play started first with a solid play keeping the puck in the Cyclones’ zone and dished a pass over to Mike Taylor. Taylor then got the puck back to Hendrikx on the left point and fired a wrist shot past Smith’s glove for his second of the post season.

After two periods, the Checkers held a 22-11 shot advantage and seemed in total control of the game.

But as they continue to show in this series, the Checkers are not laying back. Early in the third Charlotte upped their forecheck pressure and fired shot after shot at Smith. The Cyclones best player stood his ground and kept it a one-goal game.

But the pressure coming from Charlotte was more than Cincinnati could handle as the Checkers took a 3-1 lead. Randy Rowe chipped the puck down low to Carroll who backhanded a pass to Schepke in the high slot. Smith came out to challenge the shot but Schepke would tally his second of the contest with a shot that beat the rookie five-hole. The goal came at the 8:57 mark of the third period.

Exactly one minute later, Jared Nightingale made it a 4-1 game when he blasted a slap shot from the point that deflected off a Cincinnati defender and into the back of the net.

The Checkers withstood a great many cheap shots and aggression by Cincinnati and stayed smart and composed to hold on for the 4-1 victory.

These two teams will meet again Saturday night in the pivotal Game 5. Should the Checkers win they would have two shots at Time Warner Cable Arena to advance to face Reading in the conference final.

Tickets for Game 6 Tuesday night in Charlotte will go on sale Saturday afternoon. Information can be obtained by calling 704-342-4-ICE or visiting www.gocheckers.com/playoffs.

GAME SUMMARY and OFFICIAL SCORERS SHEET

NOTES:

* Charlotte is 11-2 in its last 13 home games

* The Checkers are the ECHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche (Lake Erie Monsters) and the New York Rangers (Hartford Wolf Pack). Cincinnati is the NHL affiliate of the Nashville Predators (Milwaukee Admirals)  and the Montreal Canadiens (Hamilton Bulldogs).

* Mike Taylor (5g, 3a), David Marshall (4g, 4a), Andrew Carroll (3g, 5a) and Aaron Slattengren (1g, 7a) all lead the Checkers with eight points each

* Matt Schepke is on a three-game goal streak (4g)

* Charlotte clinched its first division title and #1 conference seed in franchise history heading into the playoffs

* Ryan Munce led the ECHL in save percentage (.913), was third in wins (26) and was named ECHL Goaltender of the Month for March

* Andrew Carroll led the Checkers this season with 30 goals, including six game winners

LINES:

Taylor – Leveille © – Slattengren
Rowe – Doig – Marshall
Roche – Carroll – Stefanishion
Schepke

Nightingale – Brouillette 
Urquhart – Reynolds
Hendrikx – Ward

Munce
Zemlak

(Assistant Captains Bold and Italicized)

SCRATCHES:
Mike Bartlett – Recall with Milwaukee Admirals
Mike Berube – Healthy Scratch
Brock Bradford – Healthy Scratch
Kevin Schaeffer – Healthy Scratch
Daniel Tkaczuk – Upper Body Injury

THREE STARS

1. CHR – M. Schepke
2. CHR – T. Hendrikx
3. CHR – M. Leveille

ON-ICE OFFICALS:

Referee:
Tim Mayer (11)

Linesmen:
Mike Hamilton (80)
Matt Macpherson (83)

NEXT GAME:

Jason Shaya and Chris “The Greek” Snavely will call the series most pivotal fifth game from the US Bank Arena starting at 7:30pm.

For live in-game coverage from your cell phone or computer, we’ll have the action for you at www.twitter.com/howlingstoday.

You can always buy tickets for any Checkers game home or away at Ticketmaster.com.

Should you want to watch this very exciting team from the comfort of your computer chair, all Checkers games are available on B2Live.

SCORE-SHEET:

Charlotte Checkers 4 At Cincinnati Cyclones 1 – Status: Final
Apr 23, 2010 – U.S. Bank Arena

Charlotte 1 1 2 – 4
Cincinnati 0 1 0 – 1

1st Period-1, Charlotte, Schepke 3   19:14. Penalties-Kilpatrick Cin (delay of game), 1:03; Carroll Chr (fighting – major), 17:01; Del Monte Cin (fighting – major), 17:01; Slattengren Chr (hooking), 19:43; Brouillette Chr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:59; Aubin Cin (unsportsmanlike conduct), 19:59; Reynolds Chr (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00; Lacroix Cin (unsportsmanlike conduct), 20:00.

2nd Period-2, Cincinnati, Robinson 3   7:44 (ps). 3, Charlotte, Hendrikx 2 (Taylor, Leveille), 15:05. Penalties-Del Monte Cin (high-sticking), 6:19; Roche Chr (hooking), 9:53; Carroll Chr (tripping), 10:45; Lacroix Cin (tripping), 11:59; Sproat Cin (hooking), 18:30.

3rd Period-4, Charlotte, Schepke 4 (Carroll, Rowe), 8:57. 5, Charlotte, Nightingale 1 (Slattengren, Leveille), 9:57. Penalties-Stefanishion Chr (holding), 3:08; Marshall Chr (fighting – major), 10:20; O’Hanley Cin (fighting – major), 10:20; Doig Chr (roughing), 10:52; Jozsa Cin (roughing), 10:52; Robinson Cin (slashing ), 10:52.

Shots on Goal-Charlotte 11-11-9-31. Cincinnati 4-8-7-19.
Power Play Opportunities-Charlotte 0 of 5; Cincinnati 0 of 4.
Goalies-Charlotte, Munce 5-3-0-0 (19 shots-18 saves). Cincinnati, Smith 5-3-1-0 (31 shots-27 saves).
A-3,250